QUARANTINE LOVE STORY

5. don't play with food, kids, or you might fall in love

CAITLIN

The past few days have been helping building up what seemed to be a routine: after Lia just isolated herself for a while, she just came back to hang out with me one hour later, as we watched the entire first season of Friends. The next days - as we are entering week two of lockdown - we just got up to study and work out, taking advantage of our allowed time outside the apartment, before cooking something yummy and then spend the afternoon enjoying the sun outside, on the long chairs I bought just before the beginning of the season. During those hours, we would either lie here in a comfortable silence, or talk about our lives and every little detail. 

It's funny : in seven days, Lia knows more about me than anyone else in my life (even my family and friends, regarding certain details...), and when it would normally bother me to have somebody get too close, it was quite natural with Lia. I just couldn't wrap my head about why it was like that...

Either way, deep down, I knew the answer: Lia was smart, funny, articulate and beautiful - she was literally the perfect girl, on paper as in reality. Having a thing for your roommate = gay error 101, even if she herself is gay, I think to myself, knowing very well that it was a terrible idea, therefore worth fighting against. 

Snapped out of my transe when I hear Lia's voice, I jump a little, while she asks:

"You oddly silent - everything's okay?"

I nod a bit too energetically. 

"Yeah, yeah... just thinkin' 'bout my family, you know."

She nods.

"I get it" she then declares, emphatic. As I turn my face toward her, she adds, visibly moved: "My little sister has respiratory issues, so my parents are terrified of her getting sick of the virus... they're saying it wouldn't be good... so, yeah, that's stressing me out."

"Same with my dad" I say, setting my jaw, "he's beaten lung cancer once, but COVID might as well just kill him this time..."

Lia loudly sighs, before saying:

"We should try to remember that those are only 'what ifs' - nothing has happened yet. We must have faith."

"I thought you weren't a religious person?" I ask, raising my eyebrows.

She smirks, before saying:

"No, I'm not - I'm talking about a different kind of faith: the faith in others, y'know. Like, I believe in my sister, and I feel her strength from here. It's just normal to be scared to lose the ones we love..."

I nod.

"You think about her sometimes? Your ex, I mean?" 

"Nah, not really" Lia answers, honest. Setting her jaw, she just adds: "Not anymore, at least."

"She was a fool for leaving someone as wonderful as you are" I let out without thinking a tiny bit about it first. 

I however did not regret it, at it was exactly what I was thinking - in complete honesty.

"Stop, you're just being nice 'cause I'm your roommate" Lia complains, smirking.

"You're more than my roommate"FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, what the fuck am I saying? Lia just stares at me, confused, as I quickly add: "I-I mean, you're my friend"

There is a long silence, before the Swiss says:

"... well, thank you, that's very kind."

She dives back into her book, not paying attention to me anymore. I frown: what the hell is going on inside my head?

***

LIA

After a long two-hours chat with some girls of the team - Leah and Jordan thought it was a good idea to do a group call on the official WhatsApp group including all the players - Caitlin finally hangs up her phone, as we both used her phone to communicate. Our teammates were, by the way, surprised to see the two of us living under the same roof, but it kind of made sense in the end, so nobody questioned it. 

Caitlin sighs, before turning toward me and asking:

"You hungry?"

"Always" I just answer with a smirk on my face.

We immediately rush to the kitchen, entertaining a tiny competition on who would cook, especially since Caitlin's skills were questionable. 

As soon as we get there, Caitlin immediately pushes me aside and, as a response, I grab her arm and pull her away from the counter. We 'fight' for a moment, until, both dying from laughter, we did not have any energy left. 

We stop breathing at the same time, when our common fight just pulled us toward the other, and our bodies collide. Caitlin's eyes fall on me, as I just feel my heart do a summersault in my chest. 

Awkwardly coughing, but not moving, I just look up at her, while her deep blue eyes catch mine. 

"You, eh, you've got some flour on our face... wait, let me-"

Her hand casually reaches for my cheek, as she removes the flour that probably ended up there because of our ridiculous fighting. While she does that, I feel a strange feeling inside my stomach, and just freeze: how could I feel something like that when I've only known that girl for a month? 

Setting my jaw, I just look away from Caitlin's eyes, as sustaining her look was too dangerous on my part. 

Caitlin, on the other hand, is still staring at me.

"I-I, uh..." I start, my voice trembling a tiny bit. I then look at the ground as I take a few steps back, just saying, grabbing the flour: "Apparently I won, so make way please."

The Aussie, who is a bit taller than I am, just gets out of my way, in utter silence. I immediately start making us dinner, setting my attention on the cooking, ignoring her. After a while just standing there in silence, Caitlin sits down on one of the kitchen's chairs, scrolling through her Instagram feed, before offering her help.

We spent the first part of dinner in utter silence, before she finally breaks it by asking about Switzerland and how it was over there.

While I would tell her all about it and ask her about Australia, I just find myself staring at her like I used to stare at Tabea - only with more intensity. Of course I felt close to her, especially after spending a week and a half only the two of us 24/7, but it was more than that, I couldn't deny it to myself: I really like her personality and her company... so much that I actually forgot about my harsh breakup with Tabea for a moment.

... It's not a good idea to fall for your quarantine roommate, dummy, I think to myself, panicked. But, on the other hand, I couldn't really fight this overwhelming feeling that was taking over my mind and body...